COVID-19

Most people think of the Louisiana Fire Marshal's Office when it comes to fighting fires and rescuing burn victims from within an inferno, but Louisiana's Fire Marshal Butch Browning is today at the forefront of keeping COVID-19 from spreading like wildfire.

"After discussing the data with experts at the Louisiana Department of Health and epidemiologists and the Resilient Louisiana Commission, we will be moving to Phase One [partial reopening] on Friday, May 15, so we will be lifting the stay at home order." And with that announcement by Governor John Bel Edwards, thousands of Louisianans breathed a sigh of relief with the hope of getting back on their feet financially.

The Covid-19 pandemic has become a family affair for Governor John Bel Edwards. His brother, Tangipahoa Sheriff Daniel Edwards filed a class-action lawsuit Friday, he says, on behalf of the 3,000 sheriffs in the U.S. who've spent unexpected funds reconfiguring jails to social distance inmates just when fees and tax revenues all but stopped.

With only a week left of Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards' stay-at-home order, a Louisiana House committee debated for more than five hours a bill by Rep. Blake Miguez (R-Erath) over whether to strip certain emergency powers from Edwards and reopen businesses immediately. The bill narrowly passed in the House and Governmental Affairs committee and advances to the full house for still more debate despite the governor's vocal backing by the nation's top Republican.

After a weekend that started with a show of American strength and unity with B-52 flybys, Saturday ended with the largest display of disunity so far against the quarantine as nearly 300 shouted at Louisiana’s Executive Mansion for Governor John Bel Edwards to reopen business immediately.